elcome to the final Airflow for the year. Christmas has certainly come around quickly. The 2013 Calendar of events is filling with
some new events, one in particular will be the Spektrum Gratton
Air Invitational event in February. There will be some international flyers attending along with some of the top flyers here in
Queensland attending.
By the time you have read this newsletter a new era of electric pylon has been run at Tingalpa early in December. Joe Luxford has
organized a fun pylon event involving miniature Warbirds of the
foam variety including “AT6, Rare Bear, Mustangs and the Spitfire
to name a few, all around 600 mm in span. It sounds like a ton of
fun and that is what this hobby is all about. For those interested
check out the events calendar on the 9th of December 2012 and
you will find some photos and a brief description of the models
and requirements. I should have a report on this event for the next
newsletter.
On another note CLASI has made application to change the date
of the Queensland round of the F2DTeam Selection Trials in 2013.
Reason, when original date in May was set, it was assumed to be
a long weekend, 4th,5th,6th, as had been the case for many years.
See Below for copy of Government announcement.
Amendments to the Holidays Act 1983( http://www.legislation.qld.
gov.au/LEGISLTN/CURRENT/H/HolidaysA83.pdf ) were passed
by Parliament on Tuesday 30 October 2012. Those amendments
reversed one of the recent changes to public holiday arrangements
by prescribing that from 2013:
•
the Queen’s Birthday public holiday is to be observed on its
original date on the second Monday in June each year
•
the Labour Day public holiday is to be observed on the first
Monday in October each year.
Last reviewed 1 November 2012 Last updated 1 November 2012
In view of this change in the Public Holidays and after consultation with F2D fliers from Southern States, most of whom will in
fact make up the bulk of competitors, it has been requested that
the dates be changed to the 5th,6th,7th of October for F2D Team
trials. CLASI will advise a schedule of events for the remainder of
CLASI portion of the MAAQ C/L State Championships in the near
future.
In closing I would like to thank all of the contributors who have supplied articles for the newsletter over the past 12 months and would
like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New
Year from the committee.
Kind regards Doug Airflow Editor.
Front Cover : Peter Love with his Turbine 140 powered Comp
ARF “Flash” at KAMS recently.

Field located at Hodgsonvale, 10km South of
Toowoomba on the New England Highway

Page 4

Father & Son Selected to Represent Australia
Tyler & Warren Mees have just won one of three places on the Australian Team to compete
at the World Championships for F3D model aircraft racing, in the Netherlands next year.
Tyler & Warren, members of the Toowoomba Aeromodellers Association, had to travel to
Hamilton in Victoria, to compete in the Victorian State Championships, which was last of four
selection events for the Australian team. Tyler cemented his place on the Australian team
by coming second in the Victorian state championships.
In 2011 Tyler & Warren competed at the F3D World Pylon Racing Championships in
Bundaberg, as a Junior and won the Junior category, but he also finished fourth overall
defeating 46 of the world’s best Pylon racing pilots from 18 countries.
Since their win in 2011, Tyler & Warren have been working hard to improve their
performance to ensure they would have the best chance to be selected for the Senior
Australian Team. This has meant many hours of development work on Engine performance
& propellers design. “It can take up to 4 hours of work to make a good propeller to give you
maximum performance” said Warren. “We have also been developing the engine muffler to
better match the engine performance” said Tyler.
In coming second in Victoria, Tyler and Warren set a new personal best time for the 10 laps
of the pylon circuit (4 Km) of 56.9 seconds. The F3D Pylon plane travels in excess of
350km/h when racing.
In 2011 Australia’s Chris Callow won the Individual World Championship, and the Australian
Team won the World Team Championship, with Tyler winning best junior in the world. “So
we have big shoes to fill “said Tyler “however we have been working hard and by July 2013
we will be ready to defend our Australian team position in the world” said Warren.

Warren & Tyler Mees with their F3D Pylon Race plane

Page 5

A great result for Tyler & Warren & for TAA as we have another selection of a Club Member
to an Australian Team for a World Championship.
The 2013 Australian Team will be: (subject to MAAA confirmation)
Chris Callow Defending Champion (Qld)
Ranjit Phelan & Ricky Townsend (caller) NSW
Beau Murphy & Barry Murphy Vic
Tyler & Warren Mees Qld
Chris Watt (Secretary TAA ) & Warren Mees

65th MAAA Nationals Report 2012
The Nationals saw our members utilizing fields around Perth and we saw
outstanding competitions in all areas of our sport. It was great to see the
helicopter competition for the first time at a WA Nationals. The weather was
superb fine with a gentle breeze for much of the time.
The only minor glitch was some venue changes. The field we had booked for
the free flight scramble had to be changed due to some pregnant cows.
Apparently some of the free flight scramble antics are enough to bring on labour. We also
had the RAAF wanting to practise for their flying display to be held a few weeks after the
nationals.
We moved the old timer events to WARMS field in Coburn. Those tree top hugging RAAF
pilots did not want any competition. Due to flying myself, I did not get to spend as much
time with the control line guys but did get the opportunity to speak to the visitors from Singapore and they really enjoyed themselves. They were suitably impressed and went home
after enjoying a great time thanks to Norm Kirton.
There were some fantastic times flown in the team racing and the control line
events were hotly contested as always. In terms of entrants, there were 135 entrants who
competed in 59 events.
There were 407 event entries that saw $8,267 paid in entry fees. The total monies received, including the MAAA payment, were $24,887 and expenses amounted to
$22,419.83.
Yours truly,
Peter Brien
President AWA

The MAAQ Committee would like to wish all the
members a Merry Christmas and a
Prosperous New Year.
Page 6

NSWPF
2013 Australian National Championships for Radio
Control Precision Aerobatics- Bulletin 1
Organisers-NSW Pattern Flyers Inc. On behalf of MASNSW and MAAA.
Dates–A Three day event 26 – 28 April 2013.
Location–HawkesburyRegion,NSW http://www.hawkesburyaustralia.com.au/maps/?
Flying SiteCharles Kingsford Smith Model Aircraft Club field Pitt Town Bottoms Road Pitt
Town. 33 35’14.22 S 150 50’59.52 Ehttp://cksmac.com/our_field
The field is located 50KM west of the Sydney CBD and is easily accessible from the M7
Westlink or M2 Motorways. It is 55 minutes by motorway from Sydney Airport.
The field has two smooth, closely cut grass runways orientated 90 degrees to each other.
The main runway is aligned east/west and is 300m long and 30m wide it will be possible to
operate two parallel flight lines for the full flying day without the sun in the manoeuvring
area.The pit area is a covered concrete surface, additional shelter will be provided for
competitors.
ParticipationThe event is open to all members of MAAA affiliated clubs and International
FAI affiliated air sports bodies.
Classes of CompetitionF3A P-13, ExpertA-12, and Advanced and Sportsman.
Australian competitors must compete in their current class in accordance with the
APA ranking system. Overseas competitors may fly in any class at the discretion of the
organisers.
AccommodationCompetition Headquarters will be at the Hawkesbury Racecourse Motel,
11 km from the contest site http://hawkesburyraceclubmotel.com.au/
Other accommodation Options:
http://www.hawkesburyaustralia.com.au/directory_categories.asp?id=1
For more information contact Richard Knox on 02 4446 1021 or rpknox@bigpond.com

Page 7

FLYING FREE FLIGHT OVERSEAS

report by Malcolm Campbell

Quite a few Australian free flight flyers have crossed the
equator to fly on the glorious Lost Hills field in California
in February each year. And we have also made the
pilgrimage to Omarama in the south island of New Zealand
in April every second year. It’s quite exciting to leave a
hot humid climate and experience the cool evenings and
lovely warm dry days. And our models also like the
holiday, and seem to fly better. As our 2.4 m models break
down into smaller components, model boxes up to 1.2 m
in length allow us to carry 3 or 4 competition aircraft.
My story concerns the events flown by the Queensland
flyers that have made these trips in 2012.
I was the only Queenslander to go to Lost Hills in
California in February this year. The field is in the desert
and is half a mile wide by 4 miles long, with prevailing
winds favouring the long side. The field is owned by the
modellers and is surrounded by minimal crops and no
stubble. Most flyers bring trail bikes for retrieval. So it is
free flight nirvana, and there are so many world class
flyers in the premier F1 classes it seems a privilege to fly
with them. Americans have such a strong group of
nostalgic flyers so vintage power classes are prolific.
The flying field is so large there are multiple events in
progress throughout the day. Catering vans on the field
serve great food and the Ukrainians have “shops” selling

Top Australian F1A flyer, Phil Mitchell prepares

Bikes have replaced horses at Lost Hills!

Page 8

highly desirable model hardware that you simply don’t
find in Australia. Non flying visitors also love this annual
event. Many flyers camp on the field, in 30 foot long
motor homes and the camaraderie of an evening is
wonderful. As many as 20 large motor homes occupy the
impromptu camping ground on the field adjoining the
flight lines, and at least 40 motor bikes corral near them
for the night. Temps of an evening drop below zero but
clear sunny skies warm things up to 12 – 14 deg C during
the day.
It was great to fly against the best flyers in the world
who travelled from countries such as Sweden, the UK,
Denmark, the Ukraine, Russia and Israel to fly in three
World Cup events. I flew the glider class (F1A) with a circle
tow, bunting electronic glider and surprised myself by
being first Australian home in the first event, placing 17��
out of a field of 56. I also managed to place in the top half
of the other two World Cup events. Now 65 years of age,
I was happy with my results, as many flyers are much
younger and fly regularly in large European or American
competitions.
I managed to get many photos of all classes flown,
including the vintage and nostalgia classes, and have
included a selection with this report. It’s a two week
adventure to the US, as we arrive a few days early to clear
the jet lag cobwebs before competition starts. And each
year when it’s over I think of returning again next year. It
is really quite addictive, and the Americans make you feel

A pair of old timers - these are big in the USA

A 150% Dixelander gets away in a nostalgia class

They start ‘em young in the US - little 9 year old
Gina Barron with Dad Andrew. That’s her F1A.

Class talent - the best F1A flyers in the world,
Per Findahl, Roland Koglot and Sergey Makarov

at home. Even some of the fast food outlets now have
“healthy” meals!

all accommodation and the pub (local watering hole) are
also that close too. We used the latter often!

My Great Adventure for 2012 continued in New Zealand
at Omarama. Like Lost Hills, it is desert country. The
striking difference is that it is surrounded by magnificent
6,000 foot snow dusted mountains. It is a flat flying field
7 x 14 klms in size, with no fences or crops. There are even
4 flight lines to choose from - but it’s not a total nirvana
– there are rabbit holes to watch out for and there are
number of small gibbers in the soil that have the potential
to damage models.

New Zealand every second year puts together the
Kotuku Cup and Omarama Cup. These are two World Cup
events that attract world wide interest for those who fly
F1A, B and C. The week long competition also offers flying
in the mini classes and in HLG/CLG/TLG.

But the sunrises and sunsets are glorious – with unreal
“Lord of the Rings” scenery. And if that’s not enough to
make you want to fly there, the little country village of
Omarama is just 10 minutes from the field. This means

Just part of the Omarama flying field.
The mountains are 4 - 6,000 feet.

Weather this year was perfect, even though the event
started in late March, two weeks earlier than normal.
Unfortunately, the number of Kiwi flyers was down, for
various reasons and some Aussies were going to the
Australian Nationals in West Australia in the following
month, so budgetary decisions had to be made. Still there
was a solid core of enthusiasts who thoroughly enjoyed

the competition, and the scenery, and the good food and
company. Queenslanders William, Darren and Dale Jones,
Albert Fathers, Kathy Burford and Malcolm Campbell
represented Australia.
The early morning starts were near freezing although
picking lift was much the same as in Australia. The early
rounds in all classes presented buoyant air and later
rounds in the F1A glider events were tricky as the breeze
was light and thermals were small and hard to pick at
times. The F1B rubber class saw many mass launches
when flyers quickly assessed the fortunes of others and
launched into the same air, often with success although
though some “fell off” the edge of the thermal into sink.
Afternoon fly offs were for those with keen eyes as often
the breeze got up and the models drifted quickly towards
the distant mountains making flight observation
extremely difficult. The speckled nature of the hills
provided perfect camouflage for the thin profiles of the
F1A and F1B models. Retrievals were long.
I managed 4�� in F1A, 8 seconds behind Kiwi Paul Lagan
who was beaten by two American flyers. William Jones
obtained the best Australian scores in F1B, maxing out the
two events he flew in and getting a 3�� in one of the fly
offs. Darren Jones placed 3�� in the F1G rubber event.

Champion CLG flyer Kathy Burford
with Kiwi mentor Paul Lagan

Top American flyer Lee Hines was just beaten by Kiwi
Paul Lagan in the Kotuku CLG (catapult glider) event (Paul
set a new NZ record), and then they were all upstaged by
Queensland newcomer Kathy Burford in the Omarama
Cup CLG event. With some early coaching by Lee, she
simply blew the others to the weeds! With strengthening
winds the “wise ones“ decided to fly early. Retrieves were
long. Kathy waited until the last 90 minutes and put up 6
incredible flights, picking her own lift and retrieving under
very difficult conditions. By the end of R5, she had won
the event and, by the end of R6, she had set an unofficial
NZ record, smashing Paul’s earlier effort by 9 seconds, and
was 8 seconds under a perfect score! And, she’d won the
Victorian State Champs CLG in the previous week – her
first ever CLG comps.
Flying in America and New Zealand with the strength of
the Aussie dollar proved quite in-expensive, although the
fares to LA were expensive. Food, accommodation and
hire cars in both countries proved very cheap, particularly
in New Zealand. And the bonus scenery goes without
saying.
Overseas comps are a buzz! You must do one.

And if you don’t want to fly, there’s always the scenery!

The position of MAAA Secretary is up for re-election for the next
3 years . For those interested in the position please contact the
MAAA Secretary by the end of January 2013.

Page 10

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;BACK BY POPULAR DEMANDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
C/L, F/F, R/C, INDOOR, ROCKETRY
AT DALBY R/C FIELD

6th and 7th April 2013
This will be exactly what it says, a

There are some suggested models for each discipline but fly what you bring!
e.g. C/L a Phantom, All American, F/F a Cardinal, R/C an O/T or Sport model,
Indoor any Frog model, any Slow R/C
There is to be a Z class team race as well as 2.5 rat races
Indoor Saturday night, bring what ever
A chance to watch and/or try a discipline you may not have ever
seen!
Camping on site available (Small daily fee pp)
Accommodation in town just 7.5 km drive from field
Hot and cold Lunch and Dinner available from the onsite Canteen.
GREEN FEE (Payable to DMAC) $10 Saturday and $5 Sunday
(special reduced rate)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Organizer (for further details)
Eddie Otto C/D pusilla@bigpond.com

Page 11

An insight of being on the Heavy Model Sub-committee
The Heavy Model Sub Committee is chaired by Iain McLeay and is an email based group
made up of delegates from each state and territory. When an issue regarding the Heavy
Model inspection system arises the Chairman requests consideration and input from all the
delegates.
State delegates then consult with other HM inspectors and flyers and discuss their ideas via
email within the group to develop a response on the proposed question. The submissions
from the state delegates are also CC’d to the MAAA and each state body, MAAQ in our
case.
The Chairman then looks at the input from all the delegates, considers all the different
opinions and makes a decision on whether it is necessary to take the matter further and
seek a modification to the MOP. If that was the case, he would then take a proposal to
amend the MOP to an MAAA meeting.
The HM inspection system has been in place in Australia for about 20 years and is working
very well so there aren’t a lot of issues arising.
The only issue that has arisen since I have been part of the subcommittee has been a
question from SA. A HM permit is valid for 3 years but is suspended if any of a number of
issues occurs including structural change, structural damage, equipment change (receiver,
servo, battery etc) or change of ownership. The question raised was whether a change of
transmitter should trigger a suspension for a permit to fly and require a revalidation as it’s
not currently listed as a reason for a suspension.
There were a number of arguments presented for and against. Those in support of an
amendment felt that since a current permit to fly states which transmitter is in use, a change
in transmitter should require a suspension and revalidation. The argument against changing
MOP 15 is that if you change the transmitter then the receiver would generally be changed
at the same time which would trigger a suspension anyway. There is a policy of trying not to
over regulate the MOP and therefore it was decided not to seek a change in this case.
If any new issues arise that may change the way the Heavy Model Inspection system is
applied I’ll pass on the details and similarly if someone has an issue that they would like
raised please email.
Richard Brown
www.bundabergaeromodellers.weebly.com

Winter in Bundy
I don’t know what happened to our normal balmy, subtropical winter weather that’s the
envy of southerners, but this year it just didn’t happen! June was cold and wet and July
was just plain cold. In August we started to thaw out and enjoy some winter sunshine at
last.
Winter kicked off with our annual Warbirds over Bundy in June, the last Queen’s Birthday
long weekend to be held in June. The weather wasn’t as bad as predicted leading up to it
but the forecast did deter a lot of visitors from travelling up for the weekend. This event is
on the SCAF (Southern Cross Air Force) calendar and a small band of die hard supporters
from the Sunshine Coast camped onsite for the weekend and enjoyed the Bundy clubs
facilities and hospitality.
As it turned out almost the entire fleet were electrics including a 40lb, ¼ scale Spitfire and
2 x 84” fully composite P-47 Thunderbolts. The Thunderbolts are the handiwork of Richard
Brown, scratch designed, built and moulded.
The rain held off long enough on both days allowing some great flying and even an RC
promotional opportunity when the local news team turned up to shoot some flying footage.
Warbirds sure strike a chord with members of the public with most people having a
personal favourite or a link to family history.
Bundy has a keen group of large electric warbird fanatics. Yes, fanatics, not enthusiasts,
and I use the word proudly. Most Saturday afternoons you would find a band of boys and
girls at the field indulging in the pleasures of electric warbird and jet flight right up until
dusk. These days the idea of large electrics (20+ lbs) are very affordable and powerful
with a fast recharge time. If you are interested in learning more then feel free to get in
contact via our website www.bundabergaeromodellers.weebly.com
July saw Bundy host the QPFA Pattern state champs. The weather once again was cold
and windy but for those that attended it was an enjoyable and rewarding event.
The sunshine always brings the Victorians and we had an influx of southern holidaying
visitors who enjoyed flying at our field. Visitors are always welcome and it adds interest
and a different perspective to the local flying scene.
We had a couple of juniors receive their bronze wings recently. It’s always great to see
the kids coming along and learn to fly so easily. The two boys were Matt Rehbein 9, and
Joseph Black 12. These boys fit well into the club and are well supported by the members
who enjoy seeing the kids getting involved in the hobby.
Patsy Brown
Bundaberg

Page 14

A nice pair of Jugs

All sizes welcome.

A couple of likely lads from the
Sunny Coast Tony & Russell.
Being a Tosser.

Bill Byrne

EDF Falcon shooting for the moon.

Page 15

Chris & co pilot Tina

Chris’s electric Pica Spitfire

Electric line up

Les is still a hoon at the age of 84 and
loving it.
Mustang Bill from Bundy

Next General MAAQ Meeting date:
23RD FEBRUARY 2013.
AT Chermside Library at 2.00 PM.
Afternoon tea provided after meeting.
Don’t forget to bring something for show
and tell during the afternoon tea . The
last one show & tell was about Gordon
Burford’s Taipan motors.
Hope to see you at the next meeting.
PLEASE NOTE THE CUT OFF DATE
FOR MATERIAL FOR THE JANUARYMARCH EDITION WILL BE THE 1ST
MARCH 2013.
Please consult the calendar of events
or the web site event
calendar for the meeting dates for
2013.

Page 18

RAMS CLUB HANGAR COMPLETED
RAMS members have been very busy; we managed to get a grant for $15,000 from the
Qld Gov. Gaming Benefits Fund. We have now put this to good use at our flying field at
Ziegenfusz Park, Fitzroy Street, Cleveland.
Our project has come in just under budget (but we still have an unresolved issue of
240V reticulation). However, being the eternal optimist, I believe to resolve this issue
within a few weeks...
We have had a 7.6 x 3.0 M storage facility built (now known as the ‘RAMS Hangar’!)
and equipped it with all sorts of goodies; a workshop bench with some tools will help to
enable basic repairs of faulty (more likely crashed!!) planes.
We also have a fridge/freezer, microwave, urn and coffee percolator to make our flying
days more enjoyable and have also acquired a barbeque so social gatherings will
become more frequent events than in the past. It is a great improvement after 16 years
of relying on peoples’ car boots for storage.
For those interested, we not only fly on Sundays, but on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday mornings as well.

A collection of photos from
Maryborough Warbirds weekend kindly
sent in by Bill Robinson. Thanks Bill

Page 20

Xmas message from the President.
With the year quickly drawing to a close it is time to take a break which I will be doing for
most of December and I wish all modellers a happy and safe Xmas.
Some Recent news
Recently I handed over a cheque for $25,000 to the Maryborough Club on behalf of the MAAQ
member Clubs on completion of the international competition standard concrete circle which
is for all Control Line competitors to use. This facility was the brain child of well known pylon
competitor and manufacturer of pylon aircraft Bruce DeChastel and with the help of Control
line enthusiasts through out the State was able to present a case for the MAAQ member
clubs to provide funds for its construction. Clubs were very supportive of this motion put at the
August meeting by the Maryborough Club and voted in favour to go ahead with the funding for
the project. The Maryborough club was chosen as being easily accessible by many clubs in
Queensland and indeed interstate competitors.
Some members are under the impression that the MAAQ Executive has the power to make
such grants but I can assure you we do not, other than items of expenditure approved in the
budget by the member clubs each year.
Individual member clubs must canvass other member clubs should they wish to have funds
granted for improvements at fields and if the majority of members at meetings vote in favour
of motions they are carried. We have 59 members in the MAAQ and each member is entitled
to one vote either in person or by proxy.
In the latest Bulletin, number 24 to all clubs I mentioned spending a day at Amberley with
President of Hellcats Paul Kranen and members of the Air Pilots and Air Navigators Guild but
what I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mention was one of the members travelling with us was Clifford Spink a retired Air
Marshal in the RAF and the Liveryman and Master of the City of London Guild. Cliff has had
an interesting life and currently flies a Spitfire on the British National display circuit, Cliff is the
same age as me so I am a little envious of his career, and you can read more by checking out
Wikipedia. If you missed the following documentary earlier in the year check it out and you will
meet Cliff flying the Spitfire. Bomber Boys - BBC Documentary. - YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnzNJ-RXIi8
All Bulletins can be found on our website www.maaq.org/Maaq Bulletin
Robin Klau
President

The art of building models has come a long way since I built my first chuck glider in 1947 with
balsa which cost a few pence and stuck together with glue made from celluloid camera film mixed
with acetone.
The first models were all Free flight models and then came Jim Walker and Control line was born
and has continued on to the present day, though most of the fliers in Australia these days have
grey hair as the ranks dwindle. However since control line started, technology has been advanced
constantly through competition, at club, State, Australian and World Championships.
It would be fair to state that without race competition and the technological changes needed to
produce a win, our present day automobiles would still look the same as a 1900 model did.
Which of course brings me to the reason for writing this article.
Not all control line fliers have any interest in competitions and some of those that do only compete
in one or two classes or aspects of this division of modeling.
It is unrealistic to believe that all persons who do compete will attend all competitions and there
are some who for whatever reason will not ever leave their own field and travel to another’s.
Control line competitions in Queensland in particular have waxed and waned over the last twenty
years or so due to various reasons, including a more recent attempt which was promoted guided
and run through the mammoth efforts of Lindsay Price from T/Birds club. Unfortunately it seems
all his efforts have been wasted. The history of modeling in Australia since it began is littered with
personality clashes, and politics at club, State and Federal level and if you need to learn more I
suggest that you read ”Politics and Personalities in Australian Aeromodelling” by Kenneth J Burke
Above all else, control line and aeromodelling in general is about FUN and ENJOYMENT
Bickering, past animosity and grudges between individual clubs and individuals MUST be put
aside if Control line is to survive.
A wonderful opportunity now exists for control line to expand in Queensland with the recent
acquisition of a permanent hard stand facility promoted and constructed by the Maryborough R/C
Club, with financial assistance provided by the MAAQ.
It is my fervent wish that ALL control Line modelers will support the new facility and will continue
to support club activities at fields other than their own. Perhaps other R/C clubs might consider
providing a grass circle for control line fliers as has Dalby R/C club who now have 3 circles
available for use as well as their excellent infrastructure.
In March of next year they will be conducting the Second Combined Disciplines FUN Weekend
with C/L, F/F, R/C and Indoor activities planned.
I have tried over a period of many years to promote and expand the discipline of control Line but
like everything in life it is time for someone else to take up the cudgel . I have written many articles
and supplied many photos for the Airflow over the years but this very likely will be the last.
I will close with two quotes.
“The only things in life that you regret are the things you did not do”
“The heaviest burden you can carry ……..is a grudge.”
John D. Taylor

Page 22

Aus 16437

Maryborough Takes shape- in a circular motion.
Recently Maryborough club was granted $25000.00 to establish a control line circle built for
speed events . The following photos show the development stages and by the time you read
this article some of the control line flyers would have tested out the concrete. Awful hard surface
concrete, not very forgiving.

Page 23

EVENT REPORT: Hellcats Electric Fun Fly October 7
Somehow we managed to schedule an event on the same day as Bathurst, and the TMAC
Model Expo! Well, the numbers might have been slightly down for the Hellcats Electric Fun fly
at Rochedale, but those present certainly enjoyed a top morning of relaxation, a bit of training
and coaching, and some awesome close-to-the-limits flying was thrown in as well.
Impressive on the day was Tom from the Samford Valley who flew everything from a tiny
ladybird quad copter to serious choppers and fast combat models, and even helped out a few
newbies with some impromptu training sessions!
Hellcats junior members Matt and Kieran (recently turned bronze wings, congratulations Kieran) flew a variety of electrics, and had a yarn with Hellcats' newest Commercial Pilot, Nathan,
who in return, took some RC lessons off Hellcat Noel Corney. Nathan said he greatly enjoyed
the experience, and has a Fun jet coming his way very soon.
The RC pilots of Hellcats are quite strongly electric-oriented (as that's what we fly at our regular Saturday morning field at Wacol), and look forward to plenty of similar events in the future.
Thanks to Noel for organizing on the day, our event sponsor Wired RC, and to everyone who
came on the day.
We hope to see you all again at the next Hellcats event, or possibly at the Electric Pylon Day
at TMAC in December - do those Fun fighters look like the go for next year, or what!!! or future
events and past photos, please visit www.flyhellcats.com

Page 24

AT THE DALBY MODEL AIR FIELD
9th & 10th MARCH 2013
All Welcome
FLYING STARTS FROM SUNUP TILL LATE (WITH NIGHT FLYING)
FIELD OPEN FROM FRIDAY
FULL CATERING SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
*PILOT REGISTRATION $20 pre entry
*PILOTS MUST be MAAA MEMBERS
*TX POUND FOR 36Mhz ( if anyone still has one )
*CAMPING with hot showers
*FOR MORE INFORMATION
Email: march-madness@otto1.net

Ph; LYLE 0458724354
EDDIE 0417639088

Page 25

Queensland IMAC Scene
Cooloola Classic IMAC - 2012
Tin Can Bay

The

After a spell of 5 years, IMAC, has once again competed at the enviable Tin Can Bay Model Flyers Club.
On September 29th / 30th, the Cooloola Classic IMAC - 2012 event draw an entry of 17
competitors with 3 in Basic, 7 in Sportsman, 6 in Intermediate and 1 in Unlimited.
By Friday evening, competitors, friends and family had soon made themselves at home with tents,
caravans and a mobile home set up at the field.
Saturdays competition was held in a brisk northerly wind which made for some interesting landings and
added to the challenge for a few of the flyers, who for their first time,were competing in a higher class.
Saturday night was a gathering around the barbecue with jokes and a few interesting stories being told.
The light wind on Sunday had swung to the south and the sun was hidden by cloud cover. Flying
standards were very good and the competition had a relaxed feeling to it with lots of chatting and
laughter.
All flyers were presented with a Competitors Certificate, with winners and place getters receiving
decorative trophies.
The results were : Basic

1st Charles Tonges

Sportsman

1st

Dan Carroll

2nd John King

2nd David Rooke

3rd Karl Ansell

3rd

Intermediate
1st Grant Lindsay

Derek Gamblin

Unlimited
1st Aaron Garle

2nd Mason Francis
3rd Chris Davis
So what is IMAC ? ( International Miniature Aerobatic Club ) IMAC is a Scale Aerobatic Competition
which can be flown in the Basic class with any model. Basic is an introductory class and the schedule
of 10 manoeuvres is easier to fly than the Gold Wings test. Once a flyer is comfortable with Basic then
he / she can move up to Sportsman where a scale aerobatic model is required. With the exception of
Basic class, each year a set of 10 Known manoeuvres is flown and an Unknown set of 10 manoeuvres is
handed out and flown during the competition. If you would like further information on IMAC flying,
visit www.scaleaeros.com.au and / or www.mini-iac.com or simply contact an IMAC flyer.
The Tin Can Bay Model Flyers Club was established around 30 years ago and offers a very smooth
runway, a very tidy and workable kitchen, hot water shower, toilets and powered camping sites.
The IMAC flyers and families were well catered for by the Tin Can Bay members throughout the comp
and I think we will see some of the Club members join in and enjoy flying IMAC with us.

Page 26

On behalf of the IMAC flyers, I would like to thank the Club for offering their field and facilities to
the IMAC flyers and we hope to be back next year to stage another scale aerobatic competition - the
Cooloola Classic IMAC - 2013.
David Rooke.

Photos courtesy of Paul Benfield.

Assembling IMAC models- Michael Paul (TAA)
in foreground

Ray Murray with his 40% Composite ARF
Extra 260.

Derek Gamblin receives his trophy for 3rd place in Sportsman.

Page 27

Aaron Garle with his Extreme Flight Extra 300. Aaron ( Bones ) has moved up quickly from
Sportsman to Unlimited and has recently competed in the Tuscon Aerobatic Shootout where he
placed a very respectable 4th.

Always a colorful pits area.
Page 28

Inc.

MAY FLY-IN 2013
18-19 MAY
FLYING STARTS FROM SUNUP TILL LATE (WITH NIGHT FLYING)
FULL CATERING SATURDAY AND SUNDAY
DINNER SATURDAY NIGHT
*************************************************
*RC Plane/Heli and Control line
*PILOTS MUST be MAAA MEMBERS
*TX POUND FOR 36Mhz ( if anyone still has one )
*CAMPING with hot showers
*FOR MORE INFORMATION
Ph Andrew 0407129957
Email: akliddle@iprimus.com.au

Page 29

The construction and building of UH-1B A2-1022
The Huey/Iroquois helicopter was representative of the Vietnam war as well as to Aussies
as the platform for the Air Force/Army for many years. What I have modelled is a B or Bravo
model as the forces referred to them as. My first flight experience in a helicopter was in
1978, it was a Huey at Amberley Airbase. The experience motivated me to build and fly one
so I made the decision to build one late in 2011. I purchased the mechanics and kit from the
USA with the idea of doing the Battle of Long Tan chopper.
The 2 RAAF Iroquois helicopters from 9th Squadron, A2 1022 and 1020 saved
many lives when they dropped urgent ammunition to troops in torrential rain on August 18th
1966. 108 Australian, New Zealand and US troops battled 2500 enemy troops. There were
18 killed and 24 injured but the enemy lost 245 with 350 wounded. We are fortunate to have
a memorial in Toowoomba for the brave veterans of Long Tan
My uncle is a decorated Vietnam veteran and spoke of the Hueyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s many times and
he was involved with the rebuild of UH-1B A2 1022 at Caloundra. I was able to get many
detailed photos of the Huey during the rebuild. This helped greatly with the detailing inside
and out. I went electric for the reliability and power and even though the model weighs over
15 kilograms it flies light.
The build was very complicated as I had never built a large scale helicopter
before. I detailed all the inside too and have 3 crew on board. All the doors either slide or
open and the front hatch works too. It has a releasable tow hook underneath that I have
used to carry the Australian flag. I put all the switches and charge ports in the front hatch. I
referenced only photos from books and the internet to complete the build. I had great help
and advice from Lyle from RC Heliworld in regards the build and set up. Power is via a 6
horsepower electric motor and all Vario mechanics. It runs 4 x 5000mah 6 cell batteries
giving about 30 minute flying time. I used a V bar flybarless gyro unit that was configured
by Adam Grofski. This was a long and complicated process as not much information is
available for large helicopters. I sourced external lighting and a retracting front light all
operated from the transmitter. As the photos show the kit is a very basic starting point for
the project. It uses a cable drive for the tail rotor and a Vario tail gearbox. The engine mount
was machined locally to adapt the 6 horsepower Scorpion electric motor to the turbine
mechanics.
My aim was to finish the model before the T.A.A charity air show in 2012. It
was a fitting opening of the air show as my uncle is a retired wing commander. He opened
the air show and shared some memories of the Vietnam War with some of the pilots
present. The Huey was flown by T.A.A heli guru Adam Grofski with an Australian flag
hanging underneath. It was a great sight and appreciated by those in attendance especially
my uncle. Building and flying these types of models with historical significance is a learning
curve each time I choose a new project. To research about the pilots and crews and the
huge dangers they faced on a daily basis makes me proud to be an Aussie.
Getting so much positive feedback from people makes it worthwhile building these projects,
next on the building board is a 2.8 meter P 47D Thunderbolt.
The significance of this model is the pilot was a POW for part of WW2. I will do a build story
on this model soon.
LUKE CULLEN
Page 30

Page 31

I read with interest the latest Bulletin #23 and came across your article regarding the
oldest active member in the state. We are very fortunate to have amongst our members
of the “Maryborough Aeromodellers Club” a grand old gentleman named Byron Christmas
who turned 86 on the 24/10/12 and is still an active flyer of both indoor and outdoor r/c
model aircraft.
Byron has been a “Life Member” of our club for many years now, a title he truly deserves
for his love and devotion to his club and its members, his wisdom and knowledge of all
aspects of aero modelling including, rubber powered, C/L, free flight, r/c sailplanes, r/c
nitro powered and electric powered, aircraft has been a great asset to our club. Byron
was the man who introduced me to the hobby of aero modelling when he put on a C/L
demonstration at the Maryborough Boys School back in 1962.
At this point in time Byron is just happy to fly his electric powered sailplane (which he
still manages to loop) and is happy to be on the flight line every Wednesday and Sunday
morning weather permitting.
I spoke with Byron and asked him to do a little autobiography of his life in aero modelling,
so please find below Byron’s story as written by him.
Kind Regards
Neil Brockley
MAC Inc
Byron Christmas
Born 24/10/1926 (86years young)
My interest in modelling first started at the tender age of 12, it was before World War 2 in
Emerald where I was born. I came across a small pile of rubbish and in amongst it I found
a balsa wing rib for a model aircraft. I cherished this small find and it made me think that
building model aircraft would be the hobby for me.
I attended the Boys Grammar School in Rockhampton during the war, and witnessed
thousands of USA war planes passing overhead after being refuelled, at that time I used
to make solid model aircraft, Spitfires, Aircobras, Kittyhawks, Etc.After the war a chap by
the name of Don Millroy and me made free flight models and flew them at Rockhampton.
In the 1940’s I ended up working in Dalby where my parents lived, working for Napier
Brothers, whilst in Dalby a chap by the name of Joe Sims, myself and other interested
modellers formed the first aeromodellers club in Dalby, we flew mostly control line and
free flight, it was during this time I designed and flew my first attempt at free flight,
the model had a five foot wing span and was powered by a 2cc ED diesel and it flew
beautifully, and after I left the Dalby area Joe was still the man running the club.
From Dalby I moved to Maryborough in 1951where I married my wife Zillah, it wasn’t long
after our wedding that I met a few fellows flying control line on Kings Oval at the Boys
Grammar School, my mother who still lived in Dalby sent over my “squaw” control liner
and I soon joined in with them.
After many years we felt the need to fly free flight and in 1962 we had a meeting and
invited all interested parties to join us and give us their views before looking for a
suitable field. I found 4000 acres of old racecourse reserve hence the Maryborough
Aeromodellers Club was formed, after a few years and the introduction of single channel
radio, and the rapid growth to multi channel radio sets, plus the models were getting
larger it wasn’t long before we realised that our original field was rapidly becoming too
small for us and we needed to look for a larger block of land, the original field was directly
across the road from where the club is presently operating now.
One of my special interests over the years has been sailplanes, and with the help of
Bob Murtagh another Maryborough club member we started a yearly competition held
at Eidsvold on their polo field, this was a good area to hold this event as it was central
to Maryborough, Bundaberg and Rockhampton, the competition was a thermal only
Page 32

event with an electric winch launch, the competition is still on the yearly calendar, but is now
hosted by the Bundaberg club, and they have done so for the past fifteen years thanks to Allan
Ferguson.
Slope soaring also became one of my obsessions and I especially enjoyed slope soaring at
the sand blow at Rainbow Beach or at Wreck Point in Yeppoon, also Point Vernon and Ghost
Hill in Hervey Bay were popular spots to fly at depending on wind direction, both of the Hervey
Bay spots have now been taken over by residential development.
Another Interest of mine is indoor free flight especially “scale models” and all models must be
built by the modeller, my best achievement was a second place in the Australian indoor scale
championships held in Toowoomba, I entered my rubber powered “Puss Moth” I have also won
a Queensland State Title which was held in Brisbane in 1992, my model for this event was an
“Auster”
At the present time I am flying my electric powered sailplane and I have six or seven interested
club members to keep me company on the flight line.
Well that’s all folks
Happy landings
Kindest Regards
Byron Christmas
Maryborough Aeromodellers Club Inc
Thanks Byron for the great story of your aeromodelling career. ED

Incident Reports continue to indicate arise
in propeller strikes to fingers, arms and
legs from models with electric motors and
propellers (EP). Reported in the last
newsletter was the problem involving
setting up electric models using a
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;buddyboxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

The most probable reason for any of these
incidents is that electric motors can start
without almost any warning at all, unlike IC
engines. Even with the EP stopped, it
should always be considered â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;aliveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

MAAA members are not alone in this
situation. Information is regularly received
from other countries which are facing
similar problems. It has been reported that
severe injuries, including permanent
damage to eyes, have resulted.

Maybe just food for thought, but not
standing in line with or forward of
propellers and possibly wearing safety eye
protection could go a long way to
preventing injuries to eyes.

66TH MAAA NATIONALS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NSW ASSOCIATIONS
The 66th Nationals to be held in NSW during the 2012/13
period will be a split event.
Control Line events are being held in Albury from 28
December 2012 to 3 January 2013.
Free Flight events are being held at Narrandera from 3-8
January 2013. For more information contact the Nationals
Free Flight and Control Line Coordinator, Brian Ether, at
brianea@optusnet.com.au
Radio Control events are to be run by the R/C Special Interest
groups who will coordinate their own individual events at
various locations throughout the year. Details and advice will
be available from MAS NSW when finalised.
The 66th National Championships for Glider and Electric &
rd
the33 Annual Armidale Sailplane Expo have been scheduled
to be held 25-28 January 2013.
ENQUIRIES: Hutton Oddy
Email

Please consult the calendar of events on the web site : www.maaq.org
for up to date information on events INCLUDING FLYERS,CONTACT DETAILS &
OTHER NECESSARY ENTRY FORMS.

Page 41

Wolf Models
www.wolfmodels.net
wolfmodels@aapt.net.au

07 54657897

LASER CUTTING
PLAN SCANNING & PRINTING
Wolf Models now has a wide format plan printing and scanning service available.
All plans are sent rolled, not folded, in a mailing tube. Up to 36â&#x20AC;? or 914mm wide by
whatever length needed, as it is a roll printer.
Our laser is now up and running for cutting short kits or ribs for your new
project. Very reasonable prices with a quick turnaround time. We can either work
with your CAD files, or email me your PDF or TIFF images and we will convert them
in Autocad for the laser to use, and also print off a copy for building from. If you only
have paper plans then send them to us and we will scan into our system. Your plans will
be returned undamaged and we can print a new set if you need them. Our laser has a
1300 x 1200 bed with pass through capabilities, so the maximum length we can cut is
2300mm. Big models.
Check our website regularly for an update of plans we have in stock.
Call us now for an approximate price, or send your plans for an exact quote.